The STRAWBERRY AND CREAM HEART CAKE is a dessert as beautiful as it is delicious: soft and very creamy, perfect to express all our love to someone special. It’s ideal both for Valentine’s Day and as a birthday cake for a little sweet-toothed girl or — why not? — for a grandma to whom we want to show how great our affection is.
Making this spectacular and very indulgent cake is actually very simple, provided you follow the step-by-step photo recipe below, which shows every stage with photos and descriptions. The soft sponge cake, whipped cream and fresh strawberries are a perfect combination for a dessert that is perfectly balanced, soft, creamy and full of fruit. In short, perfect to finish a romantic dinner in style, perhaps accompanied by a flute of bubbly.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 6-8 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
- Energy 344.52 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 46.38 (g) of which sugars 31.86 (g)
- Proteins 5.22 (g)
- Fat 15.40 (g) of which saturated 1.08 (g)of which unsaturated 1.35 (g)
- Fibers 0.76 (g)
- Sodium 80.73 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4 eggs (medium, at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- lemon zest
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (00 flour equivalent)
- 5 tablespoons potato starch
- 3/4 cup vegetable whipping cream (to be whipped)
- 5 strawberries
- 3 1/3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 fl oz limoncello
- 2/3 cup vegetable whipping cream (to be whipped)
- 4 strawberries
YOU’LL NEED FOR THE STRAWBERRY AND CREAM HEART CAKE
- 1 Pan
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Electric whisk
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Pan adjustable heart
- Blast chillers
PREPARATION: STRAWBERRY AND CREAM HEART CAKE
Separate the yolks from the whites and place them in two bowls.
Begin to beat the egg whites and as soon as they start to turn white add one third of the sugar (about 4 tablespoons). Beat for 2 minutes and add another 4 tablespoons, and continue with the remainder until you obtain a light and foamy mass.
Add the vanilla extract and the grated lemon zest and mix.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, incorporating each thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients (flour and potato starch), sift them and gently fold them in with a spatula.
Butter and flour a pan about 8 in (20 cm) in diameter, pour in the batter and level the surface.
Bake in a preheated conventional (static) oven at 347°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
Check doneness with the classic toothpick test: inserted into the center it should come out dry.
Remove the sponge cake from the oven and let it cool slightly. Then unmold it and let it cool completely.
Once cold, remove the darker outer crust, cut it into slices about 3/8 in (1 cm) thick and cut them with a heart-shaped cutter about 7-8 in (18-20 cm).
If you already have a heart-shaped pan you can of course use it directly.
Prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan put the water and sugar. Bring to a boil and let it cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, let the syrup cool and add the limoncello (if children will also eat the cake you can omit the liqueur). Then mix the two liquids well.
Place the heart pan on a tray with a sheet of parchment paper underneath. Line the sides with an acetate strip or, alternatively, with parchment paper and place a heart of sponge cake inside. Soak it with the syrup and set aside.
In a bowl put the very cold cream and whip it well, add the vanilla extract and fold it in quickly.
Wash the strawberries and cut them in half (the important thing is that they are all the same height and size). Arrange them along the sides of the layer, slightly spaced from each other.
Pour the whipped cream and spread it evenly, especially between the strawberries.
Cover with another heart of sponge cake, press slightly and soak it with syrup. Then put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Whip the very cold cream with the vanilla extract. Cover the top of the cake with a layer and use the remaining cream to pipe peaks on the surface, leaving a space in the center.
Wash the strawberries, remove their stems and arrange them in the center.
Refrigerate the strawberry and cream heart cake until ready to serve.
